Filmmaker Left ‘Devastated’ After Learning Charles Manson Was Her Grandfather
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A filmmaker says she was left “devastated” after an ancestry test https://nypost.com/2026/07/24/entertainment/filmmaker-sophia-maddox-devastated-to-learn-her-grandfather-was-charles-manson/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank" title="https://nypost.com/2026/07/24/entertainment/filmmaker-sophia-maddox-devastated-to-learn-her-grandfather-was-charles-manson/">revealed one of America’s most infamous killers was her grandfather.
Sophia Maddox, 26, https://nypost.com/2026/07/24/entertainment/filmmaker-sophia-maddox-devastated-to-learn-her-grandfather-was-charles-manson/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank" title="https://nypost.com/2026/07/24/entertainment/filmmaker-sophia-maddox-devastated-to-learn-her-grandfather-was-charles-manson/">told the New York Post she broke down in tears after learning her father, Daniel Arguelles, was the biological son of Charles Manson, the cult leader convicted in the notorious 1969 murders that terrorized Hollywood.
Maddox https://nypost.com/2026/07/24/entertainment/filmmaker-sophia-maddox-devastated-to-learn-her-grandfather-was-charles-manson/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank" title="https://nypost.com/2026/07/24/entertainment/filmmaker-sophia-maddox-devastated-to-learn-her-grandfather-was-charles-manson/">recalled feeling “dumbstruck” as her father comforted her, https://nypost.com/2026/07/24/entertainment/filmmaker-sophia-maddox-devastated-to-learn-her-grandfather-was-charles-manson/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank" title="https://nypost.com/2026/07/24/entertainment/filmmaker-sophia-maddox-devastated-to-learn-her-grandfather-was-charles-manson/">assuring her they were “nothing like him.” The shocking discovery https://nypost.com/2026/07/24/entertainment/filmmaker-sophia-maddox-devastated-to-learn-her-grandfather-was-charles-manson/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank" title="https://nypost.com/2026/07/24/entertainment/filmmaker-sophia-maddox-devastated-to-learn-her-grandfather-was-charles-manson/">became the basis for her new Hulu documentary, My Grandfather Charles Manson, which follows her efforts to understand her family’s history while interviewing people connected to Manson’s life and crimes.
Maddox https://nypost.com/2026/07/24/entertainment/filmmaker-sophia-maddox-devastated-to-learn-her-grandfather-was-charles-manson/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank" title="https://nypost.com/2026/07/24/entertainment/filmmaker-sophia-maddox-devastated-to-learn-her-grandfather-was-charles-manson/">said examining the factors that shaped Manson should not be mistaken for defending him, https://nypost.com/2026/07/24/entertainment/filmmaker-sophia-maddox-devastated-to-learn-her-grandfather-was-charles-manson/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank" title="https://nypost.com/2026/07/24/entertainment/filmmaker-sophia-maddox-devastated-to-learn-her-grandfather-was-charles-manson/">arguing that confronting the past is essential to breaking cycles of abuse.
She https://nypost.com/2026/07/24/entertainment/filmmaker-sophia-maddox-devastated-to-learn-her-grandfather-was-charles-manson/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank" title="https://nypost.com/2026/07/24/entertainment/filmmaker-sophia-maddox-devastated-to-learn-her-grandfather-was-charles-manson/">added that while she recognizes a family streak of creativity, she https://nypost.com/2026/07/24/entertainment/filmmaker-sophia-maddox-devastated-to-learn-her-grandfather-was-charles-manson/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank" title="https://nypost.com/2026/07/24/entertainment/filmmaker-sophia-maddox-devastated-to-learn-her-grandfather-was-charles-manson/">feels no personal connection to Manson beyond the painful truth of their biological relationship.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/filmmaker-sophia-maddox-learns-charles-manson-was-her-grandfather/">Read more at The Daily Beast.